From Booklist Years ago， Fickett shocked himself by moaning， "I feel so dead inside." In an alcoholism rehabilitation facility at the time， he recovered by asking basic questions again--"Is there a living God?" "What about tragedy?" etc.--and seeking answers in Jesus' parables. He reports gracefully on his consequent "conversations" with Jesus on 11 questions. In each chapter， he discusses a particular question， offers a contemporary story resembling one of Jesus' parables， then explicates the modern story， in the process reproducing its Gospel template (e.g.， the Good Samaritan in answer to "How Good Do We Have to Be?") and comparing new and old stories. The order of the questions leads a reader deeper into becoming Jesus' follower， exchanging egoism and self-determination for the love and guidance of God--the ground of genuine life. Fickett's new parables are very good， and his historically informed readings of the Gospel fascinate. By both putting the parables' messages in modern clothing， so to speak， and revealing their original cultural subtexts， Fickett makes them speak doubly powerfully. Ray Olson New Man Magazine， January/February 2000 Fickett is a wonderful wordsmith and has crafted vivid new parables. They are realistic and edgy， void of the saccharine superficiality you'd expect from a self-proclaimed "professional Christian."...gettin readers to look at things in a whole new way is what Fickett does so well. He has written a book that is happily exasperating: gripping enough to keep you flipping pages， but so deep you want to contemplate each chapter and refer to its corresponding biblical parable.--Robert Liparulo See all Editorial Reviews